PTI leaders barred again from meeting Imran, seek enforcement of IHC orders

• Party slams repeated denial of Imran Khan meetings, demanding implementation of IHC ruling on twice-weekly meetings

• Party leaders claim they waited hours outside jail without approval, following submission of list in line with court directives

• Aleema Khan moves IHC against alleged prolonged solitary confinement of Imran Khan

 

 ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders on Thursday were once again denied permission to meet the party’s incarcerated founder Imran Khan at Adiala Jail, triggering strong criticism from the party and renewed demands for the implementation of court orders allowing regular meetings.

All PTI leaders included in the approved list for meeting the former prime minister arrived at Adiala Jail on Thursday but were not allowed access despite waiting for several hours.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had earlier permitted Imran Khan to hold meetings twice a week — on Tuesdays and Thursdays — with family members, lawyers and party associates. However, despite the court directives, PTI leaders claimed that neither family members, party representatives nor legal counsel had been allowed to meet the PTI founder for several months.

Earlier, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja submitted a list of six party leaders to the jail authorities in accordance with the court’s orders. The list included Syed Raza Gillani, Tahir Iqbal, Mian Fayyaz Hussain, Qazi Ahmad Akbar, Mehwish Janjua and Abdul Hakeem Zareen.

According to PTI leaders, all individuals named in the list reached Adiala Jail at around 2pm and were asked by jail authorities to wait for approval.

“We were informed that the meeting would take place once clearance was granted. However, despite waiting until 4:30pm, no permission was issued,” party representatives claimed.

‘Heartbreaking and Irreparable Loss to Nation’

Meanwhile, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram on Thursday expressed profound grief over the martyrdom of security personnel, including Major Tauseef Ahmed Bhatti and accompanying soldiers, during a security operation in Balochistan’s Barkhan district.

Describing the incident as a “heartbreaking and irreparable loss” to the nation, he conveyed condolences and sympathy to the bereaved families.

Echoing the remarks of Imran Khan, Akram said, “Our brave soldiers continue to lay down their lives fighting terrorists to keep the nation safe.”

He maintained that “chronic weak governance, political apathy and a dangerously flawed security approach” in the sensitive province of Balochistan had once again emboldened terrorism.

“The federal government’s dangerous obsession with political vendettas has pushed national security to the back burner, revealing its callous disregard for the lives of soldiers and citizens alike,” he alleged.

Akram stressed that terrorism was an existential national challenge requiring a robust, comprehensive and long-term state strategy backed by effective governance and genuine national unity.

Imran’s sister moves IHC against his 'illegal solitary confinement'

Meanwhile, Aleema Khan on Thursday approached the Islamabad High Court against the alleged prolonged solitary confinement of jailed PTI founder Imran Khan at Adiala Jail, terming it illegal, unconstitutional and in violation of basic human rights.

The petition, filed through Barrister Salman Safdar and Salman Akram Raja, named prison authorities, the Punjab prisons chief, the National Accountability Bureau, the FIA, the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences and the state as respondents.

Imran Khan, imprisoned since August 2023, is currently serving a 14-year sentence in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case while also facing proceedings in the Toshakhana-II reference.

The petition argued that no court had ordered solitary confinement in any case against the former prime minister, yet he had allegedly been kept isolated for nearly 22 hours daily over the past six months without lawful authority.

Citing the Pakistan Penal Code and Prison Rules, the plea maintained that solitary confinement could only be imposed through a court order and for a limited duration, describing the current conditions as “inhuman and degrading treatment”.

The petition further claimed that the 74-year-old PTI founder had lost 85 per cent vision in his right eye due to a medical condition for which he had been taken to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences four times for treatment.